On the next half-hour commercial break Teddy got up and headed for the men’s room. He went in, accepted congratulations from some actor he didn’t know, and spent a couple of minutes washing his hands to let the actor leave first.
Teddy came out and headed in the direction of the coat check in the lobby. Ben met him halfway and handed him the briefcase.
Teddy held up his hand, fingers spread. “Five minutes.”
“I’ll be here.”
The men’s room was empty, but Teddy didn’t dare use one of the mirrors over the sinks in case someone should walk in. He took the briefcase into a toilet stall, sat down, popped the case open on his lap, and took out a makeup mirror.
The transformation from Mark Weldon to Billy Barnett wasn’t that hard. The hair sold it. Mark Weldon’s hair was dark brown, nearly black, as fit his image. Billy Barnett’s hair was naturally gray. Mark Weldon’s hair was a wig, but the high-quality workmanship was unmatched. Few people had any idea it wasn’t real hair.
Teddy put the finishing touches on the makeup, snapped the briefcase shut, and came out of the stall. He double-checked his appearance in the mirror over the sink. All was in order.
Teddy came out of the men’s room to find Ben waiting for him. He handed him the briefcase.
“Billy Barnett,” Ben said. “Just the man I wanted to see.”
“Oh?”
“You have to have a talk with one of your actors.” Ben shook his head. “Guy won an Oscar, now he wants a trailer upgrade.”